Then after the tour we went to dinner at some place in the heart of Berlin (which for a vegetarian is hard to find something good), but the restaurant was delicious. I ordered Gazpacho, and it was phenomenal. And I was so full I couldn't eat it all, but still perfect!!!! Then we went to the rooftop bar at our hotel and had a goodnight drink and went to bed. Wonderful day.
Today we got up and had a 5 course breakfast at the hotel and then I had to transfer my things to the hotel I will be staying at for the remainder of the Academy. Which meant I had to carry my luggage for about 20 minutes down the streets of Berlin. Let me tell you-what an adventure-but so much fun!
After checking in to my new hotel (which the view is perfect) we met for a welcome lunch then opening words a local Jewish museum/synagogue.
Hotel view:
After the welcome lunch and words we went on a historic walking tour of Berlin-great history in this city!!!!
A few pictures from the historic downtown of West Berlin:
Then we went to the Centrum Judaicum and had a tour of the museum. Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!!! After which we had a welcome dinner followed by our elective choices, which of course I chose a video line, where we will be responsible for making a video of our experience here this summer!!!
Pictures of inside and outside of Centrum Judaicum:
Well....gute Nacht
“We are alive. We are human, with good and bad in us. That's all we know for sure. We can't create a new species or a new world. That's been done. Now we have to live within those boundaries . What are our choices? We can despair and curse, and change nothing. We can choose evil like our enemies have done and create a world based on hate. Or we can try to make things better.” -Carol Matas
until next time,
xoxo
What an awesome post about a phenomenal experience. Thanks for sharing the details with us!
ReplyDeleteSounds amazing! I can't wait to read more! How many teachers went to Germany with you?
ReplyDeleteI love reading this! YOu are so lucky to be having this experience. I love that you chose the video. It is going to be life changing for you. I can tell it already is. It is incredible how invigorating it is to be in a new place. I always feel like I am smarter and fresher when I have returned from a trip.
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of your adventure. I am honored to be teaching Holocaust Literature this year and have been working so hard to find pieces that exemplify the experience and everything I find I want to share. It really is a pity the Final Solution was devised in such a beautiful setting. That building looks amazing and contains so much history. I was also very blessed to host a German exchange student last year and I learned so much about their history and their thoughts on the Holocaust. It certainly has opened my desire for learning and never forgetting the importance of that event. Someday, I will make it there to experience the rich history that is 1/2 my heritage! Safe travels!
ReplyDeleteKelli, I am enjoying your posts! I know you are having fun and enjoy new things with teacher friends. I have been to Chile when I was in college and we had an awesome time learning about education there. Can't wait to hear more!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about Berlin. I have been there, and it was my last leg on my backpacking through Europe trip, and I was hesitant at first. I wasn't sure I wanted to be there, but man I am glad I did. It's amazing, and it seems as though you had an amazing time at the Academy you were going to. I loved seeing your pictures. Berlin has such a history that is not all positive, but I feel when I was there the people had embraced it the good and the bad.
ReplyDeleteI hope to visit Germany and visit the castles someday. My family is from Germany and I would love to visit the places that my relatives immigrated from in the early 1900's.
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